Roasted Veggie Farro Bowl (with Lemon Garlic Tahini)

Look out quinoa, there’s a new favourite grain in my kitchen. With a hearty nutty flavour, and a soft chewy texture, this new grain is known as Faro. It has more fibre than brown rice (8 grams per 1 cup cooked portion) and is rich in magnesium and B vitamins. Faro is perfect served as a warm dinner bowl and this faro bowl recipe, loaded with vegetables, fulfills the wish for a warm and hearty meal on a cold rainy day.

In this recipe the faro gets toasted and cooked together with garlic and onions to infuse the flavour into each bite. I roasted the vegetables so they stay crispy tender when mixed together with the faro. Have you tried roasted broccoli before? I think it’s so much tastier than steamed or boiled broccoli. Supposedly it’s better for you as well since some nutrients leach out into the water while steaming or boiling. Roasted broccoli also adds a crisp outside and remains fork tender inside. I mix cooked chickpeas into the faro bowl to increase the protein and fibre content of the dish. Once you stir together the faro with the roasted veggies and chickpeas, you can serve as is. For an even tastier addition, I stir in a spoonful of Lemon Garlic Tahini Dressing and sprinkle sliced almonds or a spoonful of Almond Sesame Parm on top for an added crunch to my bowl.

Feel free to add or sub in any vegetables you desire, wilted spinach would be a good one too! Sometimes I toss in some finely diced kale as well.

A side note, anyone know why there’s two ways to spell Faro/Farro? I tried goggling it and even Bob’s Mill wrote it as Farro in their header then dropped the second R, spelling it as Faro when describing it. Someone probably can answer this question for me?

In a large saucepan, sauté diced onion in coconut oil over medium heat until soft.

Add minced garlic and faro to the pan, continue to sauté for another 2 minutes while stirring until the garlic is fragrant.

Add the water and the bouillon cube (alternatively you could use vegetable broth instead). Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover with lid and cook for about 30 minutes, or until faro is cooked. If water remains, simmer on low uncovered.

While the faro is cooking, prep and roast the vegetables.

Toss the chopped mushrooms in 2 tsp oil, season with salt and pepper. Spread out mushrooms on a cookie sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper. Place in oven until lightly browned, about 30 minutes. During the last 15 mins for roasting the mushrooms add the broccoli and carrots to the oven.

Toss the broccoli and carrots in 2 tsp oil, and season with salt and pepper. Spread out on a second cookie sheet and put in oven until the broccoli turns bright green and just starts to brown, about 15 mins. Remove from oven.

Once both the faro mixture and roasted vegetables are done, combined together, add the chickpeas and stir well.

Serve warm in a bowl as is, or drizzle with a generous spoonful of Lemon Garlic Tahini Dressing and toss sliced almonds or Almond Sesame Parm on top.

Lemon Garlic Tahini SauceSimply put the all the dressing ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. For a spicy option add in Srirracha Sauce and blend. This sauce is great on a side of roasted veggies or tossed in salads.

Notes

To add even more flavour, add a drizzle of balsamic reduction along with the lemon garlic tahini dressing.

Another option rather than roasted the vegetables is to pan fry the mushrooms until browned, then add the broccoli and carrots and cook until fork tender. Mix together with the cooked faro and serve.

Comments

In Italy it is definitely spelt with a double r – Farro
There is also Teff stepping up as a Quinoa alternative.
Love this recipe – I guess it works with rice, quinoa or anything else really. Will try it out. For me the sauce is everything, doing my best to find different ones.

Yup it would definitely work with quinoa or rice. I’m a sauce person too! I enjoy dishes that have a good sauce ratio or else I find it too dry. Try the lemon tahini mixed in the Farro bowl with a drizzle of balsamic reduction. It adds a hint of sweetness and goes perfectly. If you like heat make sure to add a touch of srirracha too ;).
-Jennifer